, 4 = 
, 7 = 
.FAHRENHEIT AND CELSIUS CONVERSION
Operators at emergency numbers may speak English, but there is no guarantee. Calls to 112 and 114 are received by either the Emergency Medical Assistance Service (called “SAMU”) or the fire brigade, who will reroute the call if necessary.
Police: Tel. 17
Fire and Accident: Tel. 18
Emergency Medical Assistance Service (SAMU): Tel. 15
Ambulance for Medical Emergencies: Tel. 15 or 01 45 67 50 50 (message asks for your address and name)
SOS All Services: 112
Hearing-Assisted SOS All Services: 114
American Hospital (with English-speaking staff): Tel. 01 46 41 25 25 (63 Boulevard Victor Hugo, in Neuilly suburb, Mo: Port Maillot, then bus #82, www.american-hospital.org)
English-Speaking Pharmacy (Pharmacie les Champs): Tel. 01 45 62 02 41, open 24 hours every day of the year (84 Avenue des Champs-Elysées, Mo: Georges V)
English-Speaking Doctors: For a good list, search on the US embassy’s website: france.usembassy.gov
SOS Médicins (SOS Doctors): Tel. 01 47 07 77 77, most speak some English, house calls to hotels or homes (€120 or more, www.sosmedecins.fr).
SOS Help: Tel. 01 46 21 46 46, telephone hotline with crisis/suicide prevention listening service in English (daily 15:00-23:00, www.soshelpline.org)
SOS Dentist: Tel. 01 43 37 51 00, contact@1urgencedentaireparis.fr
American Chiropractic Center: Tel. 01 45 51 38 38, open Mon-Sat, closed Sun (119 Rue de l’Université, Mo: Invalides, www.chiropractique.com, contact@chiropractic.fr)
Lost Property (Bureau des Objets Trouvés, at police station): Tel. 08 21 00 25 25; open Mon-Fri 8:30-17:00 (36 Rue des Morillons, Mo: Convention, on south end of line 12)
US Consulate and Embassy: Tel. 01 43 12 22 22 (2 Avenue Gabriel, to the left as you face Hôtel Crillon, Mo: Concorde, france.usembassy.gov)
Canadian Consulate and Embassy: Tel. 01 44 43 29 02, www.amb-canada.fr. For 24/7 emergency assistance, call collect to Canadian (tel. 613/944-1310)
Australian Consulate: Tel. 01 40 59 33 00 (4 Rue Jean Rey, Mo: Bir-Hakeim, www.france.embassy.gov.au)
American Church (interdenominational): Tel. 01 40 62 05 00 (65 Quai d’Orsay, Mo: Invalides, www.acparis.org; for more information, see here)
American Cathedral (Episcopalian): Tel. 53 23 84 00 (23 Avenue George V, Mo: George V, www.americancathedral.org)
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship: www.uufp.info
Scots Kirk (Church of Scotland): Tel. 01 48 78 47 94 (17 Rue Bayard, Mo: Franklin D. Roosevelt, www.scotskirkparis.com)
St. George’s Anglican Church: Tel. 01 47 20 22 51 (7 Rue Auguste Vacquerie, Mo: George V or Kleber, www.stgeorgesparis.com)
St. Joseph’s Church (Roman Catholic): Tel. 01 42 27 28 56 (50 Avenue Hoche, Mo: Etoile, www.stjoeparis.org)
St. Michael’s Church (Anglican): Tel. 01 47 42 70 88 (5 Rue d’Aguesseau, Mo: Concorde or Madeleine, www.saintmichaelsparis.org)
This list includes selected festivals in Paris, plus national holidays observed throughout France. Many sights and banks close on national holidays—keep this in mind when planning your itinerary. Before planning a trip around a festival, verify its dates by checking the festival’s website or France’s national tourism website (www.franceguide.com).
In Paris, hotels get booked up Easter weekend (note that Easter Monday is a holiday, and the weeks before and after are also busy), Labor Day, V-E Day, Ascension weekend, Pentecost weekend, Bastille Day and the week during which it falls, and the winter holidays (last half of December). Avoid leaving Paris at the beginning of one of these holiday weekends or returning at the end—you’ll be competing with Parisians for seats on planes and trains, or fighting them in traffic on the roadways.
Paris is lively with festivals and events throughout the summer and fall. Kicking off the season in late May or early June is the month-long Festival of St. Denis in that Parisian suburb, featuring musicians from around the world at various venues (tel. 01 48 13 06 07, www.festival-saint-denis.com).
Paris celebrates the solstice in late June with its Music Festival (Fête de la Musique), staging concerts throughout the city.
Bastille Day, France’s National Day (July 14), brings fireworks, dancing, and revelry countrywide (see sidebar on here). In late July, the Tour de France bicycle race ends on the Champs-Elysées (www.letour.fr; see sidebar on here).
From mid-July to mid-August, the Paris Neighborhoods Festival features theater, dance, and concerts around the city. At the same time, the fun Paris Plages, a riverside ersatz beach, is set up in the middle of the city (see here).
La Villette Jazz Festival brings a week of outdoor jazz concerts to this Parisian park from late August to mid-September. The first Saturday of October, Montmartre celebrates the grape harvest with a parade and festivities. The Festival of Autumn (www.festival-automne.com) runs through fall, with theater, dance, film, and opera performances. If you’re in Paris during Christmas, see the Paris in Winter chapter for information on things to do. (Christmas week is generally quieter than the week of New Year’s.)
Here are some major holidays in 2016:
To learn more about France past and present, and specifically Paris, check out a few of these books and films. For kids’ recommendations, see here. To learn what’s making news in France, you’ll find France 24 News online at www.France24.com/en. If you want to experience expat life in Paris virtually, a fun website is www.secretsofparis.com.
A to Z of French Food, a French to English Dictionary of Culinary Terms (G. de Temmerman, 1995). This is the most complete (and priciest) menu reader around—and it’s beloved by foodies.
Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris (Sarah Turnbull, 2003). Turnbull takes an amusing look at adopting a famously frosty city.
Americans in Paris: Life and Death under Nazi Occupation (Charles Glass, 2009). Using stories from American expatriates, Glass transports readers back to Nazi-occupied Paris in the early 1940s.
The Cambridge Illustrated History of France (Colin Jones, 1995). The political, social, and cultural history of France is explored in detail, accompanied by coffee-table-book pictures and illustrations.
A Corner in the Marais (Alex Karmel, 1998). After buying a flat in the Marais, the author digs into the history of the building—and the evolution of one of Paris’ great neighborhoods.
The Course of French History (Pierre Goubert, 1988). Goubert provides a basic summary of French history.
Culture Shock! France (Sally Adamson Taylor, 1991). Demystify French culture—and the French people—with this good introduction.
The Flâneur (Edmund White, 2001). Reading this book is like wandering the streets of Paris with the author, who lived here for 16 years.
French or Foe? (Polly Platt, 1994). This best seller, along with its follow-up, Savoir-Flair!, is an essential aid for interacting with the French and navigating the intricacies of their culture.
From Here, You Can’t See Paris: Seasons of a French Village and Its Restaurant (Michael S. Sanders, 2002). Foodies may enjoy this book, about a small-town restaurant where foie gras is always on the menu.
How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City (Joan DeJean, 2014). DeJean describes how Paris emerged from the Dark Ages to become the world’s grandest city.
I’ll Always Have Paris (Art Buchwald, 1996). The American humorist recounts life as a Paris correspondent during the 1940s and 1950s.
Into a Paris Quartier: Reine Margot’s Chapel and Other Haunts of St. Germain (Diane Johnson, 2005). The author acquaints readers with the sixth arrondissement by recounting her strolls through this iconic neighborhood.
Is Paris Burning? (Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, 1964). Set in the last days of the Nazi occupation, this is the story of the French resistance and how a German general disobeyed Hitler’s order to destroy Paris.
La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life (Elaine Sciolino, 2011). Sciolino, former Paris bureau chief of the New York Times, gives travelers a fun, insightful, and tantalizing peek into how seduction is used in all aspects of French life—from small villages to the halls of national government.
A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway, 1964). Paris in the 1920s is recalled by Hemingway.
My Life in France (Julia Child, 1996). The inimitably zesty chef recounts her early days in Paris.
Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light (Tyler Stovall, 1996). Stovall explains why African Americans found Paris so freeing in the first half of the 20th century.
Paris to the Moon (Adam Gopnik, 2000). This collection of essays and journal entries explores the idiosyncrasies of life in France from a New Yorker’s point of view. His literary anthology, Americans in Paris, is also recommended.
A Place in the World Called Paris (Steven Barclay, 1994). This anthology includes essays by literary greats from Truman Capote to Franz Kafka.
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong (Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow, 2003). This is a must-read for anyone serious about understanding French culture, contemporary politics, and what makes the French tick.
The Sweet Life in Paris (David Lebovitz, 2009). Funny and articulate, pastry chef and cookbook author Lebovitz delivers oodles of food suggestions for travelers in Paris.
Travelers Tales: Paris and Travelers’ Tales: France (edited by James O’Reilly, Larry Habegger, and Sean O’Reilly, 2002). Notable writers explore Parisian and French culture.
City of Darkness, City of Light (Marge Piercy, 1996). Three French women play pivotal roles behind the scenes during the French Revolution.
The Hotel Majestic (Georges Simenon, 1942). Ernest Hemingway was a fan of Simenon, a Belgian writer who often set his Inspector Maigret detective books, including this one, in Paris.
Le Divorce (Diane Johnson, 1997). An American woman visits her stepsister and husband in Paris during a time of marital crisis (also a 2003 movie with Kate Hudson).
Murder in the Marais (Cara Black, 1999). Set in Vichy-era Paris, private investigator Aimée Leduc finds herself at the center of a murder mystery.
Night Soldiers (Alan Furst, 1988). The first of Furst’s gripping WWII espionage novels puts you right into the action in Paris.
Suite Française (Irène Némirovsky, 2004). Némirovsky, a Russian Jew who was living in France and died at Auschwitz in 1942, plunges readers into the chaotic WWII evacuation of Paris, as well as daily life in a small rural town during the ensuing German occupation.
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens, 1859). Dickens’ gripping tale shows the pathos and horror of the French Revolution.
A Year in the Merde (Stephen Clarke, 2004). Englishman Paul West takes on life as a faux Parisian in this lighthearted novel that relies on some stereotypes.
Amélie (2001). A charming young waitress searches for love in Paris.
Before Sunset (2004). Nine years after meeting on a train to Vienna, Jesse and Celine (played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) are reunited in Paris.
Breathless (1960). A Parisian petty thief (Jean-Paul Belmondo) persuades an American student (Jean Seberg) to run away with him in this groundbreaking classic of French New Wave cinema.
Children of Paradise (1945). This melancholy romance was filmed during the Nazi occupation of Paris.
Dangerous Liaisons (1988). This inside look at sex, intrigue, and revenge takes place in the last days of the French aristocracy in pre-Revolutionary Paris.
The Intouchables (2011). A quadriplegic Parisian aristocrat hires a personal caregiver from the projects, and an unusual and touching friendship ensues.
Jules and Jim (1962). François Truffaut, the master of the French New Wave, explores a decades-long love triangle in this classic.
La Vie en Rose (2007). Marion Cotillard won the Best Actress Oscar for this film about the glamorous and turbulent life of singer Edith Piaf, who famously regretted nothing (many scenes were shot in Paris).
Les Misérables (2012). A Frenchman trying to escape his criminal past becomes wrapped up in Revolutionary intrigues (based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel).
Marie Antoinette (2006). Kirsten Dunst stars as the infamous French queen (with a Californian accent) at Versailles in this delicate little bonbon of a film about the misunderstood queen.
Midnight in Paris (2011). Woody Allen’s sharp comedy shifts between today’s Paris and the 1920s mecca of Picasso, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald.
Moulin Rouge! (2001). Baz Luhrmann’s fanciful musical is set in the legendary Montmartre nightclub.
Ridicule (1996). A nobleman navigates the opulent court of Louis XVI on his wits alone.
Ronin (1998). Robert De Niro stars in this crime caper, which includes a car chase through Paris and scenes filmed in Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Arles.
Three Colors trilogy (1990s). Krzysztof Kieślowski’s stylish trilogy (Blue, White, and Red) is based on France’s national motto—“Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.” Each features a famous French actress as the lead (Blue, with Juliette Binoche, is the best).
The Triplets of Belleville (2003). This surreal-yet-heartwarming animated film begins in a very Parisian fictional city.
• Europeans write a few of their numbers differently than we do: 1 = , 4 = , 7 = .
• In Europe, dates appear as day/month/year, so Christmas 2016 is 25/12/16.
• Commas are decimal points and decimals are commas. A dollar and a half is $1,50, one thousand is 1.000, and there are 5.280 feet in a mile.
• When counting with fingers, start with your thumb. If you hold up your first finger to request one item, you’ll probably get two.
• What Americans call the second floor of a building is the first floor in Europe.
• On escalators and moving sidewalks, Europeans keep the left “lane” open for passing. Keep to the right.
A kilogram is 2.2 pounds, and l liter is about a quart, or almost four to a gallon. A kilometer is six-tenths of a mile. I figure kilometers to miles by cutting them in half and adding back 10 percent of the original (120 km: 60 + 12 = 72 miles, 300 km: 150 + 30 = 180 miles).
| 1 foot = 0.3 meter | 1 square yard = 0.8 square meter |
| 1 yard = 0.9 meter | 1 square mile = 2.6 square kilometers |
| 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers | 1 ounce = 28 grams |
| 1 centimeter = 0.4 inch | 1 quart = 0.95 liter |
| 1 meter = 39.4 inches | 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds |
| 1 kilometer = 0.62 mile | 32°F = 0°C |
When shopping for clothing, use these US-to-European comparisons as general guidelines (but note that no conversion is perfect).
• Women’s dresses and blouses: Add 30
(US size 10 = European size 40)
• Men’s suits and jackets: Add 10
(US size 40 regular = European size 50)
• Men’s shirts: Multiply by 2 and add about 8
(US size 15 collar = European size 38)
• Women’s shoes: Add about 30
(US size 8 = European size 38-39)
• Men’s shoes: Add 32-34
(US size 9 = European size 41; US size 11 = European size 45)
First line, average daily high; second line, average daily low; third line, average days without rain. For more detailed weather statistics for destinations in this book (as well as the rest of the world), check www.wunderground.com.
Europe takes its temperature using the Celsius scale, while we opt for Fahrenheit. For a rough conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit, double the number and add 30. For weather, remember that 28°C is 82°F—perfect. For health, 37°C is just right. At a launderette, 30°C is cold, 40°C is warm (usually the default setting), 60°C is hot, and 95°C is boiling.
Whether you’re traveling for five days or five weeks, you won’t need more than this. Pack light to enjoy the sweet freedom of true mobility.
5 shirts: long- & short-sleeve
2 pairs pants or skirt
1 pair shorts or capris
5 pairs underwear & socks
1 pair walking shoes
Sweater or fleece top
Rainproof jacket with hood
Tie or scarf
Swimsuit
Sleepwear
Debit card
Credit card(s)
Hard cash ($20 bills)
Money belt or neck wallet
Passport
Airline reservations
Rail pass/train reservations
Car-rental voucher
Driver’s license
Student ID, hostel card, etc.
Photocopies of all the above
Hotel confirmations
Insurance details
Guidebooks & maps
Notepad & pen
Journal
Toiletries
Medicines & vitamins
First-aid kit
Glasses/contacts/sunglasses (with prescriptions)
Earplugs
Packet of tissues (for WC)
Daypack
Sealable plastic baggies
Laundry soap
Spot remover
Clothesline
Sewing kit
Travel alarm/watch
Smartphone or mobile phone
Camera & related gear
Tablet/ereader/media player
Laptop & flash drive
Earbuds or headphones
Chargers
Plug adapters
Flipflops or slippers
Mini-umbrella or poncho
Travel hairdryer
Belt
Hat (for sun or cold)
Picnic supplies
Water bottle
Fold-up tote bag
Small flashlight
Small binoculars
Insect repellent
Small towel or washcloth
Inflatable pillow
Some duct tape (for repairs)
Tiny lock
Address list (to mail postcards)
Postcards/photos from home
Extra passport photos
Good book
When using the phonetics: Try to nasalize the n sound (let the sound come through your nose). Note that the “ahn” combination uses the “ah” sound in “father,” but the “an” combination uses the “a” sound in “sack.” Pronounce the “ī” as the long “i” in “light.” If your best attempt at pronunciation meets with a puzzled look, just point to the place name on the list.
Arc de Triomphe ark duh tree-ohnf
arrondissement ah-rohn-dees-mohn
Art Nouveau ar noo-voh
Auvers-sur-Oise oh-vehr-sewr-wahz
Bateaux Mouches bah-toh moosh
Bon Marché bohn mar-shay
boulangerie boo-lahn-zheh-ree
Carnavalet kar-nah-val-eh
Champ de Mars shahn duh mar
Champs-Elysées shahn-zay-lee-zay
Chantilly shahn-tee-yee
charcuterie shar-kew-tuh-ree
Chartres shar-truh
château(x) shah-toh
Cité see-tay
Cité des Sciences see-tay day see-ahns
Conciergerie kon-see-ehr-zhuh-ree
Contrescarpe kohn-truh-scarp
droguerie droh-guh-ree
Ecole Militaire ay-kohl mee-lee-tair
Egouts ay-goo
Fauchon foh-shohn
Fontainebleau fohn-tehn-bloh
fromagerie froh-mah-zhuh-ree
Galeries Lafayette gah-luh-ree lah-fay-yet
gare gar
Gare d’Austerlitz gar doh-stehr-leets
Gare de l’Est gar duh lehst
Gare de Lyon gar duh lee-ohn
Gare du Nord gar dew nor
Gare St. Lazare gar san lah-zahr
Giverny zhee-vehr-nee
Grand Palais grahn pah-lay
Grande Arche de la Défense grahnd arsh duh lah day-fahns
Hôtel de Sully oh-tehl duh soo-lee
Ile de la Cité eel duh lah see-tay
Ile St. Louis eel san loo-ee
Jacquemart-André zhahk-mar-ahn-dray
jardin zhar-dan
Jardin des Plantes zhar-dan day plahnt
Jeu de Paume juh duh pohm
La Madeleine lah mah-duh-lehn
Le Hameau luh ah-moh
Les Halles lay zahl
Les Invalides lay-zan-vah-leed
Loire lwahr
L’Orangerie loh-rahn-zhuh-ree
Louvre loov-ruh
Marais mah-ray
Marché aux Puces mar-shay oh pews
Marmottan mar-moh-tahn
Métro may-troh
Monge mohnzh
Montmartre mohn-mart
Montparnasse mohn-par-nas
Moulin Rouge moo-lan roozh
musée mew-zay
Musée de l’Armée mew-zay duh lar-may
Musée d’Orsay mew-zay dor-say
Notre-Dame noh-truh-dahm
Opéra Garnier oh-pay-rah gar-nee-ay
Orangerie oh-rahn-zhuh-ree
Orsay or-say
palais pah-lay
Palais de Justice pah-lay duh zhew-stees
Palais Royal pah-lay roh-yahl
Parc de la Villette park duh lah vee-leht
Père Lachaise pehr lah-shehz
Petit Palais puh-tee pah-lay
Pigalle pee-gahl
place plahs
Place Dauphine plahs doh-feen
Place de la Bastille plahs duh lah bah-steel
Place de la Concorde plahs duh lah kohn-kord
Place de la République plahs duh lah ray-pew-bleek
Place des Vosges plahs day vohzh
Place du Tertre plahs dew tehr-truh
Place St. André-des-Arts plahs san tahn-dray-day-zart
Place Vendôme plahs vahn-dohm
Pompidou pohn-pee-doo
pont pohn
Pont Alexandre III pohn ah-lehks-ahn-druh twah
Pont Neuf pohn nuhf
Promenade Plantée proh-muh-nahd plahn-tay
quai kay
Rive Droite reev drwaht
Rive Gauche reev gohsh
Rodin roh-dan
rue rew
Rue Cler rew klehr
Rue Daguerre rew dah-gehr
Rue des Rosiers rew day roz-ee-ay
Rue Montorgueil rew mohn-tor-goy
Rue Mouffetard rew moof-tar
Rue de Rivoli rew duh ree-voh-lee
Sacré-Cœur sah-kray-kur
Sainte-Chapelle sant-shah-pehl
Seine sehn
Sèvres-Babylone seh-vruh-bah-bee-lohn
Sorbonne sor-buhn
St. Germain-des-Prés san zhehr-man-day-pray
St. Julien-le-Pauvre san zhew-lee-an-luh-poh-vruh
St. Séverin san say-vuh-ran
St. Sulpice san sool-pees
Tour Eiffel toor ee-fehl
Trianon tree-ahn-ohn
Trocadéro troh-kah-day-roh
Tuileries twee-lay-ree
Vaux-le-Vicomte voh-luh-vee-kohnt
Venus de Milo veh-news duh mee-loh
Versailles vehr-sī
When using the phonetics, try to nasalize the n sound.
| English | French | Pronunciation |
| Good day. | Bonjour. | bohn-zhoor |
| Mrs. / Mr. | Madame / Monsieur | mah-dahm / muhs-yur |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais? | par-lay-voo ahn-glay |
| Yes. / No. | Oui. / Non. | wee / nohn |
| I understand. | Je comprends. | zhuh kohn-prahn |
| I don’t understand. | Je ne comprends pas. | zhuh nuh kohn-prahn pah |
| Please. | S’il vous plaît. | see voo play |
| Thank you. | Merci. | mehr-see |
| I’m sorry. | Désolé. | day-zoh-lay |
| Excuse me. | Pardon. | par-dohn |
| (No) problem. | (Pas de) problème. | (pah duh) proh-blehm |
| It’s good. | C’est bon. | say bohn |
| Goodbye. | Au revoir. | oh vwahr |
| one / two | un / deux | uhn / duh |
| three / four | trois / quatre | twah / kah-truh |
| five / six | cinq / six | sank / sees |
| seven / eight | sept / huit | seht / weet |
| nine / ten | neuf / dix | nuhf / dees |
| How much is it? | Combien? | kohn-bee-an |
| Write it? | Ecrivez? | ay-kree-vay |
| Is it free? | C’est gratuit? | say grah-twee |
| Included? | Inclus? | an-klew |
| Where can I buy / find...? | Où puis-je acheter / trouver...? | oo pwee-zhuh ah-shuh-tay / troo-vay |
| I’d like / We’d like... | Je voudrais / Nous voudrions... | zhuh voo-dray / noo voo-dree-ohn |
| ...a room. | ...une chambre. | ewn shahn-bruh |
| ...a ticket to ___. | ...un billet pour ___. | uhn bee-yay poor ___ |
| Is it possible? | C’est possible? | say poh-see-bluh |
| Where is...? | Où est...? | oo ay |
| ...the train station | ...la gare | lah gar |
| ...the bus station | ...la gare routière | lah gar root-yehr |
| ...tourist information | ...l’office du tourisme | loh-fees dew too-reez-muh |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes? | oo sohn lay twah-leht |
| men | hommes | ohm |
| women | dames | dahm |
| left / right | à gauche / à droite | ah gohsh / ah dwaht |
| straight | tout droit | too dwah |
| When does this open / close? | Ça ouvre / ferme à quelle heure? | sah oo-vruh / fehrm ah kehl ur |
| At what time? | À quelle heure? | ah kehl ur |
| Just a moment. | Un moment. | uhn moh-mahn |
| now / soon / later | maintenant / bientôt / plus tard | man-tuh-nahn / bee-an-toh / plew tar |
| today / tomorrow | aujourd’hui / demain | oh-zhoor-dwee / duh-man |
| English | French | Pronunciation |
| I’d like / We’d like... | Je voudrais / Nous voudrions... | zhuh voo-dray / noo voo-dree-ohn |
| ...to reserve... | ...réserver... | ray-zehr-vay |
| ...a table for one / two. | ...une table pour un / deux. | ewn tah-bluh poor uhn / duh |
| Is this seat free? | C’est libre? | say lee-bruh |
| The menu (in English), please. | La carte (en anglais), s’il vous plaît. | lah kart (ahn ahn-glay) see voo play |
| service (not) included | service (non) compris | sehr-vees (nohn) kohn-pree |
| to go | à emporter | ah ahn-por-tay |
| with / without | avec / sans | ah-vehk / sahn |
| and / or | et / ou | ay / oo |
| special of the day | plat du jour | plah dew zhoor |
| specialty of the house | spécialité de la maison | spay-see-ah-lee-tay duh lah may-zohn |
| appetizers | hors d’oeuvre | or duh-vruh |
| first course (soup, salad) | entrée | ahn-tray |
| main course (meat, fish) | plat principal | plah pran-see-pahl |
| bread | pain | pan |
| cheese | fromage | froh-mahzh |
| sandwich | sandwich | sahnd-weech |
| soup | soupe | soop |
| salad | salade | sah-lahd |
| meat | viande | vee-ahnd |
| chicken | poulet | poo-lay |
| fish | poisson | pwah-sohn |
| seafood | fruits de mer | frwee duh mehr |
| fruit | fruit | frwee |
| vegetables | légumes | lay-gewm |
| dessert | dessert | day-sehr |
| mineral water | eau minérale | oh mee-nay-rahl |
| tap water | l’eau du robinet | loh dew roh-bee-nay |
| milk | lait | lay |
| (orange) juice | jus (d’orange) | zhew (doh-rahnzh) |
| coffee / tea | café / thé | kah-fay / tay |
| wine | vin | van |
| red / white | rouge / blanc | roozh / blahn |
| glass / bottle | verre / bouteille | vehr / boo-tay |
| beer | bière | bee-ehr |
| Cheers! | Santé! | sahn-tay |
| More. / Another. | Plus. / Un autre. | plew / uhn oh-truh |
| The same. | La même chose. | lah mehm shohz |
| The bill, please. | L’addition, s’il vous plaît. | lah-dee-see-ohn see voo play |
| Do you accept credit cards? | Vous prenez les cartes? | voo pruh-nay lay kart |
| tip | pourboire | poor-bwahr |
| Delicious! | Délicieux! | day-lee-see-uh |
For more user-friendly French phrases, check out Rick Steves’ French Phrase Book and Dictionary or Rick Steves’ French, Italian & German Phrase Book.